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Month: October 2021

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Rail Europe – Discover Great Britain with an impressive train network via Britrail

Rail Europe – Discover Great Britain with an impressive train network via Britrail

Given that Great Britain was home to the first full-scale working railway, it’s not surprising that it still has a very impressive train network. From the White Cliffs of Dover to the Scottish Highlands, from London to the Lake District, you can count on the trains to take you on an exploratory trip through the country’s history and heritage. Whether you’re travelling to the capitals of London, Edinburgh or Cardiff, to the traditional rural towns of the Cotswolds or to Cornwall, there’s always available rail to make your
adventure the best of British.

UK rail network as below:

Route (point to point tickets) Best Travel Time
Glasgow <> Edinburgh 0hrs 58mins
London Kings Cross <> York 1 hr 51 mins
London Kings Cross <> Cambridge 0 hrs 48 mins
London Kings Cross <> Newcastle 2 hrs 51 mins
London St Pancras <> Nottingham 1 hr 44 mins
London Euston <> Manchester Piccadilly 2 hrs 07 mins
London Euston <> Birmingham New Street 1 hr 22 mins
Birmingham New Street <> Glasgow Central 3 hrs 57 mins
Manchester Piccadilly <> Edinburgh Haymarket 3 hrs 18 mins

Onboard services

Train Companies run many different types of trains across the rail network, offering a range of facilities.
All trains are totally non-smoking and offer Standard seating.

Some trains offer additional facilities such as:

  • Catering
  • WiFi
  • Seat reservations (compulsory reservation may be required, such as LNER services in peak hours)
Maldives wins 4 awards in the Indian Ocean Category including the Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination and MMPRC wins the Leading Tourist Board at World Travel Awards 2021

Maldives wins 4 awards in the Indian Ocean Category including the Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination and MMPRC wins the Leading Tourist Board at World Travel Awards 2021

Maldives has won 4 prestigious awards in the Indian Ocean category in World Travel Awards - the most prestigious honors programme in global travel and tourism, established in 1993 and recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence. The awards won by Maldives this year includes

• Indian Ocean's Leading Destination 2021: Maldives
• Indian Ocean's Leading Beach Destination 2021: Maldives
• Indian Ocean's Leading Dive Destination 2021: Maldives
Along with the awards listed above, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation has been awarded the Indian Ocean’s Leading Tourist Board 2021.

On winning the Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination Award and the Indian Ocean’s Leading Tourist Board 2021 for MMPRC, Thoyyib Mohamed, the Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation stated, “We are extremely proud to win the Indian Ocean Leading Destination Award from the World Travel Awards. It is a testament to all the hard work, effort, and the dedication of all in the Maldives tourism and travel trade, and I congratulate all stakeholders of the industry for this great achievement. Furthermore, it is a special honor and a matter of great pride that MMPRC has been selected as the Indian Ocean's Leading Tourist Board 2021. I congratulate our team at MMPRC. This is a great reward for the team, for the hard work and dedication they have shown during the extremely challenging times during the last one and half years. Thank you for voting for us. We hope to see you soon in the sunny side of life”.

Despite the tremendous challenges experienced by the tourism industry during the pandemic, this year’s World Travel Awards is a remarkable testament to the love and extraordinary effort of tourists from around the world - World Travel Awards has reported a record number of visitor traffic and engagement from public voters. This shows that as travel resumes and the tourism sector recovers, the appetite for travel has never been bigger. Tourists are constantly seeking the very best tourism products from across the world. As Maldives has won four categories, these awards have never been more valuable in the marketing of the island nation as one of the safest and top travel destinations in the world.

The Maldives reopened its borders on 15th July 2020. Since then, we have welcomed 555,494 travelers in 2020 and an impressive 923,146 travelers in 2021 so far. We are on our way to cross the 1 million figure and revive the tourism industry.

These prestigious wins at the 28th World Travel Awards will assist MMPRC in strengthening the brand image and further enhance brand presence globally. Maldives has secured multiple awards in various categories over the years including the World's Leading Airport Resort, World's Leading Beach Destination, World's Leading Honeymoon Resort, World's Most Romantic Resort and World's Leading Luxury Island Resort.

The destination had also won the famed Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination award 13 times within the past 17 years.

Philippine Airlines – Bacolod, The City of Smile

Philippine Airlines – Bacolod, The City of Smile

Known as the City of Smiles because of the friendly disposition of its residents, Metro Bacolod – comprised of the cities of Bacolod, Talisay and Silay – boasts heritage mansions, modern culinary offerings and a robust art scene. Complete your visit with a day tour to these nearby getaways.

Things To See & Do

Sipalay
This quiet coastal town four hours from Bacolod City has earned the moniker “Jewel of Negros” for its clear waters and posh waterfront private residences that overlook stone formations covered in lush vegetation. Divers will enjoy exploring any of the 44 diving sites that all promise different species of fish and colorful coral reefs.

Danjugan Island
Getting to this eco-tourism destination involves a three-hour drive from Bacolod City and a 30-minute ferry ride. Once a threatened and over-fished area, Danjugan Island is now a protected sanctuary with thriving marine and terrestrial life. Danjugan has five lagoons, numerous coral reefs and limestone forests, and you can even spend the night.

The Ruins
Take a selfie at The Ruins in Talisay City – a two-level mansion in the middle of an hacienda that was built in early 1900s and destroyed by American troops in WWII.

 

Where To Dine & Drink

Carbin Reef
The whole trip from Bacolod City to this sandbar in the middle of the 32,000ha Sagay Marine Reserve takes about three hours, including a short ferry ride. Dip into the pristine waters while tucking into a feast of ceviche, grilled seafood, chicken and lechon, all prepared by Enting’s Special of Sagay – make sure you give them at least one week’s notice.

Ann Co Cakes
Beat the heat with a bowl of halo-halo at Ann Co Cakes, a dessert store in Silay City

Virgie's Homemade Products
Buy your food souvenirs at Virgie’s Homemade Products – you can’t go wrong with the mango tarts and galletas.

PAL flights schedule from Manila to Bacolod and return

Sector Flight No Departure Arrival Frequency
MNL - BCD PR 2131 12:25 13:40 MON - FRI
BCD – MNL PR 2132 14:30 15:45 MON - FRI - SUN
Aeroflot – Orsk, the city of an admirable historical buildings

Aeroflot – Orsk, the city of an admirable historical buildings

Orsk is a city in the Orenburg region lying at the foot of the Ural Mountains, close to the Kazakhstan–Russia border. You wouldn’t call the city a tourist destination, although its numerous architectural and historical monuments give it a good chance of becoming one. Admirable historical buildings, the famous jasper deposits and a peculiar geographical setting make the city worth visiting.

Mount Preobrazhenskaya is the symbol of the Old City. This is where the first Orsk fortress was founded in 1735. Here you can find a special commemorative plaque and the city’s oldest Preobrazhensky Cathedral. Originally built of wood, it was rebuilt repeatedly to eventually acquire its modern look in the traditional Old Russian style in the late 19th century. Next to it is the Nikolskaya Church.

Besides, the Sovetsky district can boast many old buildings and constructions, such as the house of the merchant Nazarov (1871), the city council office (1890), the mansion of the merchant Aksenov (1910), the residential house of the merchant Matz (1916) and the girl’s high school located in the house of the merchant Khamitov (1914). Built in the German classicism style, Orsk railway station should be given particular attention. Once in the New Town, you should definitely visit the Museum of Local Lore, which unravels the history of these places, the Church of Perpetual Help of Our Lady (the only Catholic church in Orsk) and the Central Park of Culture and Rest to relax after a long walk.

SU flight schedule from Bangkok (BKK) - Sheremetyevo (SVO) - Orsk (OSW) and return.

Sector Flight No Departure Arrival  Frequency
BKK - SVO SU273 02:55  09:15 Saturday
SVO - OSW SU1060 10:45 15:20  Daily
 
Sector Flight No Departure Arrival Frequency
OSW - SVO SU1061 16:20 17:10 Daily 
SVO - BKK SU272 21:25  10:40  Saturday
Visit Maldives Launches “REDEFINING MICE” Global Campaign

Visit Maldives Launches “REDEFINING MICE” Global Campaign

Visit Maldives launches “Redefining MICE” global campaign to promote the country as a preferred MICE destination. The campaign was launched during a special luncheon held on the sidelines of the MILT Congress held in Grand Hyatt Mumbai on 5th October 2021.

The purpose of this campaign is to promote the Maldives as an emerging top destination to conduct meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) events. Our aim is to redefine the business environment, which is often thought to be sombre, serious and limited to boardrooms and conference halls. Through this campaign, Maldives will be promoted as a destination that is perfect to seamlessly merge business with leisure by promoting different experiences. MILT Congress is an event with a reputation for bringing together carefully vetted Indian MICE buyers to meet international suppliers.

“Maldives is unparalleled in offering that quintessential ‘laid-back’ atmosphere for thought- provoking and stimulating discussions. It is a special honour to launch our Redefining MICE campaign here at the MILT Congress. There is no setting more appropriate to introduce our MICE offerings than here in India, the most important market for Maldives tourism today.” Managing Director of Visit Maldives, Thoyyib Mohamed said while speaking during the launch of the Redefine MICE campaign.

During the launching event, Visit Maldives, along with industry partners Baglioni Resort Maldives & Villa Hotels & Resorts, gave a presentation on offers available for the MICE segment, followed by conferencing and networking sessions.

Through this event, we also provided the attendees with the latest destination information and travel guidelines and promoted the Maldives as a safe haven due to the naturally social-distanced geography and the stringent safety measures in place at our resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards, amidst the global pandemic. A raffle was drawn during the launching of the Redefining MICE campaign, which gave a lucky winner, along with a partner, a 3 nights free holiday at Paradise Island Resort.

Through this global campaign, Maldives will be promoted as an ideally located venue for regional gatherings, providing the opportunity to transform any MICE event from sombre to exciting. During the campaign, many activities are planned to be held across the globe in the coming months by Visit Maldives in collaboration with our foreign PR agencies and industry partners, to promote the Maldives as a preferred location for businesses to hold their next MICE business event.

These activities will be held from October to November 2021 and will include global media campaigns, participation in MICE exhibitions, social media campaigns, distribution of digital brochures and videos, MICE FAM trips, a dedicated MICE landing page on Visit Maldives website and MICE dedicated roadshows in different countries.